Mapleshade's Vengeance Alternate Ending
by deliberateOxymoron
Summary: What if Mapleshade doesn't declare vengeance on Appledusk's descendants?


Mapleshade stumbled toward her son. "Wait!" she gasped. "Don't leave me!" But Patchkit had already faded away from her sight. From the corner of Mapleshade's eye, Reedshine rose from behind Appledusk's corpse.

"Don't come any closer," cried Reedshine. "What you have done here is more terrible than anything a Clan cat has done before. But you have not won, Mapleshade. Appledusk will live on in his kits, and in their kits, and their kits in turn. His spirit will not die. He will be part of RiverClan forever!" Mapleshade glared at Reedshine, her eyes blazing with fury.

"No, he won't, he's dead. His kits will die just like you and me. Those kits are not him and they never will be. And just as I can't remember the name of my ancestors, neither will Appledusk's descendants. Time will render him forgotten. Your kits carry blood that has already been spilt. I don't need to spill it again." Mapleshade barely noticed the blood leaking over her fur, the soil beneath her soaking with blood. "I don't care about his kits. Just as he didn't care about mine. You may think that I have lost, but you are wrong. I did exactly what I needed to do." As she lurched into the willows and bushes, the sounds of Perchpaw following her were getting louder and louder, but Reedshine stopped him.

"Mapleshade has caused enough harm, let her crawl away to die alone." Mapleshade heard her say. She forced her way through the undergrowth. She did not want to die near the clans that betrayed her. She felt no pain, only a strange numbness. When she reached the end of the bushes near a Twoleg den, her legs gave in and she could not go any further. She fell to the ground, her vision blurring as she closed her eyes and tried to envision her kits living happily with her, but she did not die. She felt the cold winds brush her fur and the leaves rustling in the breeze. She felt the touch of a paw on her back, her eyes jolted open. "Am I in Starclan? Patchkit is that you?" The only response she was met with was a familiar mew.

"It's you," It said. "Do you remember me? I'm Myler, we met once before." Mapleshade grunted. Then she felt his nose press against her flank. "You're badly hurt," mewed the little cat. "You poor thing. Come on, let's get you inside." With surprising strength, he lifted Mapleshade to her feet and supported her as she limped into the hay-filled Twoleg den. Mapleshade settled on a hay pile.

"I lost everything," she mumbled quietly. "I don't have a reason to live."

"Don't say that!" Myler replied. _But it's true,_ Mapleshade thought. "I almost gave up on life too, but I found hope and a chance to start again. Now I'm content with my life, and I believe you should be too with yours."

Movement sounded from around her and soon Myler came to her with a wet moss ball. He dabbed the moss ball on her wound. "There's too much blood." He said, squishing the moss into her wound. The bleeding lessened. "Slightly better," he sighed. "A clan cat did this to you, didn't they?"

Mapleshade only nodded.

"Those cold-hearted brutes!" Myler growled. "They killed my sister, you know. Took the only family I had. I'm lonely because of them!" At that moment Mapleshade felt a surge of sympathy for Myler. She wished she had the energy to talk to him, but it was too late, she was going to die and they both knew it. Myler curled up beside her bloody body. "It's okay, you're safe now." He mewed softly.

"Leave me alone," Mapleshade replied. "I don't need anyone." Myler then got up and began to walk away. He turned back to Mapleshade.

"I think you are wrong." He said. Mapleshade immediately regretted her decision to send him away and longed to call him back.

"Wait, don't go..." She rasped. A blurry black and white shape came closer to her as quiet, muffled noises sounded. She felt a horrible sleepiness, stronger than a rushing river overcome her as cold darkness filled her vision.

Mapleshade opened up her eyes. She was shrouded in a dark mist that seemed to be endless. She could barely see the massive, leafless trees that covered the sky. Everything was dark and gloomy. Nothing lively in sight. She began to wander around the area, trying to see if anything was different up ahead. Nothing.

"Hello, Mapleshade." A foreboding voice said from the mist.

"Am I in StarClan?" Mapleshade asked.

"No, this is the Dark Forest. We welcome you." Mapleshade's eyes widened with horror. _Surely not?_ Mapleshade thought. _StarClan has punished me wrongfully! Those cats deserved it! Why me? Oh, my kits! I'll never see my kits again!_


End file.
